India Yankee One have made ‘super’ progress
to date on the construction phase of our programme. Over the last very hot and
hard 3 weeks we have managed to complete the build of 10 eco-sanitation units
with the aid of our fantastic masons: Loki, Lingi and Ningerag.
As we began construction we quickly learnt
from our masons how to measure and accurately brick lay. We discovered new
skills we thought we didn't have such as plastering, packing and building using
various concoctions of cement, sand and jelly. Our beneficiaries were just as
hard working and provided us with many chai and poppadom breaks, for which we
are very grateful! As the days went on we gained confidence ad a good sense of
group discipline. 8am starts to 6pm finishes, plenty of water and lots of sun
cream has made the past 3 weeks fly by.
We did manage to squeeze two days off
during this busy phase, one as a day trip to Mysore and the other for Diwali.
The Hindu festival of lights provided a fantastic opportunity for IY1 to throw off
cement stained construction clothes and replace them with Indian shirts and
lungis for the boys, and saris for the girls. After an incredible lunch at the
Gram Panchayath’s (village leader) house we managed to immerse ourselves in the
local culture as spectators to one tradition we hadn't expected.... cow racing.
The village cows that normally live tranquil life were transformed by paint
into fully fledged racing animals. Roared on by the crowd, the cows were raced
up and down the main village road by their owners, using only a rope to give
the impression of control. A bizarre experience but one we knew we would only
find in India.
In the evening we saw every kind of firework
and firecracker conceivable. It was still a night that lived up to its
reputation, and provided us with a brilliant cultural respite from
construction.
As we prepare to head off to field base for
a much needed mid-phase break, we realize how quickly 6 weeks have gone. We
have been filled with a sense of pride watching our efforts transform into
fully functioning eco-san units (fingers-crossed!) The rapport we have built
with the village during this phase will no doubt help us greatly as we begin to
embark on our secondary projects for the remaining 3 weeks of the programme.
This IY1 signing off until next time
Ps 1) Happy birthday to Jane Holloway from
Jade and all of IY1
2) Happy birthday to Graham Jones from Jo and all of IY1
3) Happy birthday to Teener Star from Meera and all of IY1
Robert Burnett ICS Autumn 2012 ???Group 12P???
ReplyDeleteHi Rob,
Hope you are doing well? These blogs all look really exciting and it makes me want to come and join in... or at least go and do a few more medical missions once this dissertation is complete.
I'm having a meeting with my tutor tomorrow so fingers crossed I don't get a lot more to correct on what I have done. I'm up to the results section... need a mathematician to do some sums with and then head down for the penultimate slog of 5000 words. Finished off with another 3000 to publish and I'm done with studying FOREVER!!!
Sorry I have got out of the habit of writing to you with snail mail over the last few weeks... we were really hectic 2 weeks ago with people staying and then mum coming home. This resulted in cooking a slap up meal for her homecoming of lemon sole fish cooked in white wine in a home made creamy sauce & diced potatoes roasted in garlic & rosemary... with the odd green vegetable too! Don't worry... your homecoming meal is in the planning stage and i hope you will be suitably impressed! We've not really been out for food much since you went away. We took dad out in York while mum was away and had a reasonable meal which scored probably an overall 5.5/10. Dessert of a goosberry & elderflower cheesecake certainly pulled up the score! Otherwise food has been supplied by Mr J.R. Burnett who I think has enjoyed entertaining while mum was away.
How's the beard going? I challenged dad & Mick to try and have a 'beard-off' for 3 mths until you got home but they weren't up for it! I felt it was the least they could do to show some support for the task you have undertaken! You won't be out of place when you come home as there are currently a huge amount of men with various designs of facial hair due to 'Movember'. So when you return you'll fit right in... and you will have a warm chin whilst the rest of you freezes!
Today is freezing. I know how cold it is because I have a flat tyre & have spent a rather long time shivering whilst attempting to pump it up (an activity which, you would be forgiven in thinking, should warm me up... but that is how cold it really is!) and then attempting to remove it before giving in and asking a man to help as I couldn't get the nuts off! I felt a little better when richard's wagon spanner split undoing the nuts because they were so tight on - at least I wasn't being feable! Still not quite fixed but garage are ordering a new tyre so hopefully will be sorted tomorrow!
Mick has got his new white car. I'll let him fill you in on it when you get home.... Needless to say it went to the hand car wash on day 2 so he could show dad it was clean, and again on day 4 so he could show David it was clean - hilarious! I have suggested that he sets himself a car wash budget or starts doing it himself (with the current amount or rain and flooding in the UK I don't think he'll make it outside with a bucket & sponge!).... watch this space - he might listen next time he buys a car!
Last wednesday i managed to strike Mick & I down with food poisoning that lasted until yesterday! Getting over it now thank goodness! Have you been inflicted with any Deli-Belly? Hope not.
Good to hear that you have got our letters and most importantly the parcel. After what you said before leaving I was worried it might get pinched before reaching your safe hands. I hope you enjoy it.
Well I really should go & get on - it's a shame MSc words don't flow as easily as what they do when I'm writing to you - I'd be finished & published by now if they did!!! I've no concept of how long it takes mail to reach you so on the basis that you only have 4 or-so weeks left, and the fact we are back on line at home, I'll probably convert to blog-contact. Hope that's ok with you & you are not too sentimental about receiving proper letters!
Can't wait to see you.
Lots of Love
Rachel xxx
Congratulations on all your hard work, and I'm very impressed that you have 10 ecosan units to show for it, as well as your cow racing expertise, which will be a very valuable addition to life here in Peak District.
ReplyDelete....and thank you ever so much for your birthday greetings, and I hope Jo hasn't told you just how old I have become.
Graham
Hey Jamie, (IY1)
ReplyDeleteGreat to here about all the work your getting done! Hope you enjoyed your rest at fieldbase!
Cant wait to see the ginger beard! only 3 weeks left now!
Also great to see that the cow racing was kept in the blog! Cant wait to hear about it all when you get home!
Take care, miss you, love Chlo xxx
To Jo (IY1)
ReplyDeleteHey Jo!
Just had the best weekend, after England stuffed the All Blacks in the last of the Autumn internationals. I'm sure you will be pleased to know. I'll still be talking about it when you get home. 38-21 against the world Champs! I have resisted talking to Graham about the welsh performance (lost all 4 matches, and now outside of the world top 10...ooops).
And now it's December, I have spent a couple of nights at the bars of the German market, and I'm beginning to feel festive.
Hope you are enjoying your last 2 weeks. Congratulations on your construction success. It sounds like lots of hard work and a great achievement so well done to all!
See you very soon. Hope you have received my last letter (I dated this one so you know when I sent it)
Lots of Love,
Joe
To Gavin Reid,
ReplyDeleteNamasté GAV!!! Guess who...one of our super-4 team from ICS leader selection back in June....seems only yesterday we were all sat in Vauxhall on the embankment dreaming of ICS, and now you're almost finished! I've been following the blog since September, and wanted to say a huge congratulations to you, and all of the IY1 team for incredible work so far! It's amazing to read about all the progress you've made, and I hope you've enjoyed your well-deserved break at field-base too. Especially after cow racing?! Sounds dramatic!
Leader Training for India Spring 2013 has just taken place, so myself and all the other UK team leaders are ready and raring to go for the Spring placement. Make my bed up for my arrival, yeah?! Cheers dude! :p
Catch-up at Christmas with you and Hari, and Shadi when she's back from Nicaragua would be fab - can't wait to hear about all of your amazing adventures.
Take care of yourself, lots of Raleigh love, and namaskār (or rām rām - I think that's right?!)
Caz xxx